Meanwhile in Seattle…
"Oh. Fuck. FUCK!" She screams as her orgasm reaches its climax. I never tire of that sound. I follow suit and like always, Vanessa gets all giggly.
Once I roll off her Ness immediately lights up her post coital cigarette. "Every time. That is such a cliché that it's an insult to clichés. Plus it's not nice to put temptation in your husband's way." For as long as I've known my wife, we have both been smokers. However, in an attempt to set a good example for our daughter and to live long enough to see Grandchildren, we both agreed to quit. I went cold turkey but it seems Vanessa is clinging to her smoking days. Her compulsive counting of cigarettes gets on my nerves sometimes but it seems to be working for her.
"A cliché is a cliché for a reason Ryan. Besides over the last few weeks my smoking is slowly becoming strictly post sex." Her tone is playful. She's not wrong though. Ever since our daughter Maxine left for Blackwell, our sex life has increased ten-fold. And I love it! I sigh with worry for my daughter. I miss that kid so god damn much. But what kind of father would I be if I stopped her from pursuing her dream? The day we left her at Blackwell Academy was a dark day. On the drive home I had stop at every gas station I saw just so I could cry without my wife seeing it.
"Hey" Ness puts her cigarette in her bedside ashtray and places her hand on my chest. She knows what I'm thinking. "I miss Maxine too. But look on the bright side." She kisses my cheek. "At least now we don't have to be quiet." I can't help but laugh. She's right again. Leave it to Vanessa Caulfield to always lighten the mood.
"You think she's okay?" I ask Vanessa.
"Being the new kid is a tough deal for anyone but she'll pull through. I'm sure she has friends already. Not only that, I'm sure she's reconnected with Chloe as well and they are surely making up for lost time." Ah yes, Chloe Price. Maxine's best friend or rather spiritual sister. Tearing those two apart right after Chloe lost her father was not a proud moment for me. It was downright shameful but what choice did I have? The Prescotts were buying property and sneakily shutting down local businesses left, right and centre. We would have been bankrupted if it wasn't for my Seattle job offer. I had to ensure my family's future no matter the cost. I know I hurt the Price family, but I'd do it again to keep my wife and daughter off the street.
My slight melancholic mood is disrupted by my phone. Shit, I left it on my drawer. It might be work so I get up and try my best to ignore Ness, eyeing my naked body whilst she playfully bites her lower lip. Damn it woman. Give a guy a second to catch his breath. I don't recognise the number, but I answer anyway. "Hello?" I say in my usual tone. This better be important.
"M-Mr Caulfield it's Raymond Wells, Principal of Blackwell." He sounds a bit unsure of himself, the Ray Wells I met a few weeks back was upstanding and seemed quite confident. Why would he be calling? If Max got into trouble, I wouldn't be mad. A small part of me would be relieved in fact. That girl needs to act like a teenager while she still can.
"Sir there's been an incident" Ray states before I can respond to his greeting. His tone makes every hair on my body stand up. How bad can it be?
"Tell me what happened, Ray. Now." I can't hide the panic in my voice. I don't know recognise the man in my mirror. He looks terrified and powerless.
What's happened to my Maxine? Raped? Assaulted? Expelled?
"Max has been involved in a shooting. She's in critical condition and on her way to the hospital. You and your wife need to get here right now."
For the briefest moment, I feel nothing. Like my brain just went dark. It soon passes and the first thing I feel are the tears rolling down my eyes. My hands are shaking and I can't get them to stop.
My daughter, my light. The best thing I ever did with my life, shot? This can't be real. That shit only happens at ghetto schools.
All I see now is red.
"WHO?" I shout into my phone. "WHO SHOT MY LITTLE GIRL?!"
I'll kill who ever did it. Slowly and painfully. They will suffer.
"I can't discuss that over the phone Ryan. You need to be here. You can talk to the police once you get to the hospital." Having no interest in anything else he has to say, I kill the call and turn to face my wife. Vanessa's face looks like the one I just saw in the mirror.
She can't die. She can't. Not my little Max.
The fire within me is extinguished and it's replaced with something worse. Gut wrenching, unfiltered fear.
Back in Arcadia Bay…
The shitty generic clock hanging above the door tells me it's just after eight-thirty. I'm pretty sure we have the same model at home. I've never had issues with claustrophobia before but being in this cramped room for so many hours is starting to get to me. I need food, I need a smoke and I need to know if Max is still breathing. Of course, I can't find out since the damn cops took my phone. They said they will give it back but there is no telling when that will be. They may still arrest me for the whole blackmail thing.
These past couple of hours have been difficult to say the least. I've had to recant my story to three different people. First there was Berry, then there was Lieutenant Rossi. Both seemed like they were in over their heads which didn't really surprise me. I guess small town cops aren't meant to deal with this kinda shit.
The detective assigned to the case was different though. I've never seen her before so I assume she works over the whole county as opposed to all the other cops here. Despite my emotional turmoil, I was able to open up to her about everything that went down between Nathan and I. Her questions were sharp, intelligent and it was clear that she wasn't just reciting some detective playbook. Jodi Silver knows her shit. This ain't her first rodeo.
The door opens much to my relief and Detective Silver enters and quickly shuts the door behind her. She's holding a folder and bottle of water. I'd say Silver is somewhere in her early thirties. She's quite tall, a slight tan and has jet black hair which is currently in ponytail. She strikes me as the type of woman who ain't afraid to thrive in a man's world. Perhaps she was in the military before she became a cop, she certainly looks tough enough.
"Sorry I've been gone so long, there have been a few developments since you've been in here." Silver's statement gets my attention. What kind of developments? "Drink" she says matter-of-factly and hands me a bottle of water. "You look like shit." What a coincidence, I happen to feel like shit. Wasting no time, I open the bottle and take a mouthful of cold water. Fuck my throat was hella dry.
I thank her and she immediately gets to the point as always. "First, I called the hospital." My heart stops beating. "Max is still in surgery and will be for a while. I doubt we won't know anything new regarding her condition until tomorrow." FUCK! All this waiting is killing me. I want to make scene but instead keep my mouth shut. "Secondly, your Mother is here. It seems your step dad told her everything that's happened." She seems a bit agitated by the fact.
"Is she okay?" I ask before Silver can continue.
Silver reaches across the table and takes a drink of water from the same bottle she just gave me. Good, I can't stand germaphobes. As she stops drinking she shakes her head in answer to my question. "No. She's not. She's heartbroken Chloe." She gives me a look that says 'you made your bed, now lie in it'. "I'll let you see her in a minute but first I gotta confirm a few things." She reaches into the folder she brought in with her and takes out a sheet of paper which is encased in plastic. She hands it to me and gives me an expectant look.
HEY ASSHOLE
we need to talk
or im going to tell
everybody what
you did
and you're going to
pay motherfucker
It's the note I put in Nathan's car on Sunday. So what? I already admitted I tried to blackmail him. "Yeah, I wrote that. I slipped it in Nathan's car the day after he drugged me." I scoff. "No point in hiding now. Besides I already told you everything."
"I assumed as much." The lack of surprise on her face is palpable. "Nathan's dorm room has been searched and that note was found along with a few other things that corroborate your story." Silver's words give me comfort, temporary as it may be. She believes me? "I won't lie to you kid. Pretty much all the officers in this building thought you were full of shit given you have a history of petty crime and Prescott is the golden goose."
"What else did you find?" I ask, unable to mask my curiosity.
"For the purpose of the integrity of this investigation I can't tell you everything we found but I can tell you that Nathan's bedside lamp was damaged." Silver smiles slightly. "Maybe it's good you missed his balls. What I'm trying to say is that your story combined with what we found in Nathan's room makes him our number one priority. We also have collected statements from about twenty Blackwell students who all say the same thing. That Nathan was seen holding a handgun right after the shooting and that he was sprinting like a mad man towards his car."
So I'm not going to jail? Or am I? "I'm glad you believe me but I gotta ask, what happens to me now?" I take another drink. Add alcohol to my list of needs.
"What happens now is we release you." A gargantuan sigh escapes me. "We won't be charging you with anything, at least not for now. There are some here who want to see you charged but we have bigger fish to fry."
"That's good. It is a relief to kn-"
Silver cuts me off. "I'm not finished. There are two things I have to ask of you and if you care about getting justice for your friend, you will listen." Fuck. This lady can go from understanding to total hard ass cop in the blink of an eye. "One, do not talk to the press. In the morning this town will be swarmed with reporters looking for a scoop at any cost. Your involvement hasn't been made public as of yet but some of these reporter types can actually be good at getting to the truth, instead of just making their own version of it. This case becoming a media frenzy is inevitable but for now I need to focus on finding Nathan Prescott instead of doing PR damage control. Think you can do that for me?"
I nod in response. "No problem. I'll keep my mouth shut. What's the second thing?" There is so much I wanna ask her right now but more than anything, I just want to get out of this fucking room.
"That you NOT leave town. As the case develops I have no doubt that we will need to question you again and if you leave Arcadia I will be forced to assume the worst. That you are running and if you are running, every cop, judge and lawyer will believe you to be guilty. Even if you aren't."
I get the point she is trying to make. No matter how much I want to, I won't run.
"This isn't an order from a cop Chloe. This is a piece of friendly advice and if you know what's good for you, you'll stay put." It's clear that Silver doesn't want to see me in cuffs for blackmail, but I know she's not afraid to put me in them if that's the way its gotta be.
"Leaving this shit pit of a town has been on my to do list for years now." Silver looks like she's about to scald me. She's a scary lady. "I won't though. I can't leave Max." I can tell that she believes me. Besides, getting on this cops bad side doesn't strike me as a step in the right direction.
We talk for a few more minutes and it seems Silver wants to be out finding Nathan instead of questioning me. Luckily every cop on the west coast now knows Nathan's face so he can't run forever. I sign my witness statement and my phone is returned to me by Silver. I'll check it later.
Silver gets to her feet and leaves the room. With the door still open, she seems to be looking at someone. "Mrs Madsen" she says professionally and jerks her head in my direction. I hate it when people call her that.
In walks Mom and my heart shatters for what seems like the millionth time today. Her eyes are puffy, red and are full of worry. "Chloe" Mom says weakly. I throw myself in her arms and Silver shuts the door behind us so we can have a little privacy. There is so much I wanna say to her but I can't find the words. Instead we just hold each other and cry for what feels like an eternity.
Oh Max, I'm so sorry. I'm such a shit person and yet she's the one who's life is hanging by a thread. That bullet was meant for me, wasn't it?
My eyes open slowly. These tiles are cold to lie on. Everything feels fuzzy and in the distance. I take in my surroundings and eventually get to my feet. I'm back in the Blackwell girl's room? How did I get here?
I blink and suddenly the walls are covered in graffiti, my graffiti. The same graffiti I left as a parting gift to Blackwell after my expulsion.
I blink again, and the walls and floors are coated in blood. Oh God.
Another blink and everything is back to normal.
The sound of a flushing toilet startles me and the door to one of the stalls open at a snail's pace. My dead father, William Price walks out and starts to wash his hands. Not again. Please. I miss him so much, but I can't go through this again.
He sighs. "Well kiddo, you really gone and done it now haven't you."
"I know Dad. I know." I look down in shame unable to maintain eye contact with him. When I look up I shriek at the two girls standing behind my Dad.
Rachel and Max are both staring at me, their faces are cold and emotionless. Blood is dripping from Rachel's left arm whilst Max's abdomen is bleeding furiously.
"Shit kiddo, you're now two for two. Being your best friend should come with serious hazard pay don't you think? I mean how hard is it to have a best friend and not have them die?"
"No." I respond to dad's cruel question. "They're not dead. Rachel's just missing, and Max is gonna make it. She has to. You'll see, Dad. Max will recover, and Rachel will come back. The three of us will be inseparable and we'll all be happy. It will be just like the old days, but so much better."
A ghost of a smile crosses his face and he shakes his head. "Yeah. Sure. And I'll crawl out of my grave and re-marry your mother. Right after I run step douche out of town and get the ring back from whatever pawn shop Joyce sold it to. These are nice little fantasies, but blind hope won't get you anywhere Chloe." My face falls at his harsh words, but I know he's right.
"It's been six months Chloe" Rachel places her bloodied arm over my shoulder and some if it gets on my skin. Fucking Damon. I can never get the image of him sticking his knife through Rachel's arm while I just there like a coward out of my head. Is it weird that I'm getting used to being in blood? "You don't really believe I'm still alive, do you?" Rachel's question floors me. What am I supposed to believe?
"Are you?" I ask, quite certain of the response I am going to get.
She frowns at me with a look of self-righteousness and judgement. "How the fuck should I know?" She suddenly vanishes and is back standing next to Max with the same cold expressions she had before.
Dad starts to wash his hands again, but this time the water coming from the tap is red. I can't stop my breathing from becoming heavy. He splashes some of it on his face and it's like a scene from a horror film. One side of his face is caved in, there are pieces of skull and brain tissue on the floor and one of his eye balls is hanging from its socket. "Sometimes, blood is inevitable." He states, seeming indifferent to his appearance. Stop. Stop. He snaps his fingers, and everything is back to normal again, Max and Rachel are still giving me the same stare.
"Sometimes we think we can stop the blood, but we just end up channelling it instead and someone else ends up paying the price." His head turns to my friends. "Max knows plenty about that, don't you Max?" Max briefly locks eyes with Dad and smiles. She gives him a little wink and raises her right hand, as if reaching out for something. What the fuck does that mean? Blood starts to pour from her nose.
"I DON"T UNDERSTAND!" I shout at Max.
Dad starts to laugh. "Sorry sweetheart. It's sort of an inside joke."
I ignore my dad. "Why didn't you tell me you were back Max!? Why!?" My words of desperation do nothing to change Max's blank face.
My dad looks at his watch. I guess it's time. It never gets easier. "Well that's our cue. Time to go. Ladies?" Max and Rachel step aside like mindless puppets at Dad's simple request. He steps in between them and takes their offered hands. The sound of a loud engine and blaring horn fill the bathroom. No. Don't take them too. Please. "I told you once that everything was going to be okay." He shakes his head and looks so uncertain. "Maybe I was wrong."
Max's face goes from blank to terrified in a nanosecond. "Jeff Jeff Jeff." She says the same word over and over, just like she did when she got shot. What does it mean? Who is Jeff? Why did she say that name?
"MAX!" I shout at her over the deafening sound of the truck horn. "I love you. Please don't di-". A blinding light consumes the bathroom and the truck comes smashing through the wall. I close my eyes praying to wake up.
I open my eyes slowly and wipe away my tears. I look around and the walls are covered with a phrase written in my own hand writing. 'There will be consequences'
The sight of three massive puddles of blood and bone force me to my knees. I scream.
"NOOOOOOO!" My eyes snap open and I'm breathing as if I was about to die.
Before I realise where I am, a door flies open and a woman in a night gown runs over to me and wraps her arms around me. "It's okay. It's okay sweetie. It was just a dream." The sound of her voice and the smell of her shampoo tell me that I'm awake and in my room.
"Mom" I say as I hug her. "It's my fault. It's my fault Mom. Why does everyone I love end up dead? Bongo, Dad, Rachel, Max. When will it end?" Will she die too? My mother doesn't deserve to die. I do. "When will it fucking end!?" I scream, surrounding to my sorrow and fear.
"Hush sweetie. I'm here. We'll get through this." Mom tightens her hold on me and cries as well. I don't know who's trying to convince, herself or me.
Author's Note:
First of all, thank you to all who have followed, favorited, and reviewed. Good reviews always act as a kick in the ass to get me writing.
While the majority of this story will be told from Chloe's POV, I've decided to add in sprinkles of other perspectives in an attempt to keep things fresh. Ryan and Vanessa Caulfield are both blank canvasses as far as I can tell so I'm gonna enjoy giving them their personalities as I see fit. I hope we get to see them in the upcoming bonus episode of BTS.
I'm not particularly happy with how my dream sequence turned out, but it is what it is. Capturing the feeling of Chloe's dreams from BTS was harder than I thought.
I'd also like to wish a happy 20th birthday to one of my all time favourite video games, Resident Evil 2. Even after two decades, that game still holds up and I can't wait for the remake that is supposed to be happening. I have great memories of playing that game when I was a kid and I'm still playing it to this day.